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Battle of Sturmhalten
This battle, which rocks the city of Sturmhalten almost literally to its foundations, has not yet been named in canon, partly because the focus of the story has moved on to Mechanicsburg (and beyond) and it been filled with nonstop action since then, and partly because the events are so complicated that even people who are there can't be sure about everything that happens. Leadup to the Battle The runup to the battle is just as complicated and could fill an article all its own with all the intrigue and double-crossing, but in short, The Other is downloaded into Agatha Heterodyne's head and begins scheming with her Geisterdamen and Tarvek Sturmvoraus , with double-crossing being tossed in on all sides. In the meantime, the news of Prince Aaronev's demise, coming immediately on the heels of the revelation that Agatha is not dead, leads Baron Wulfenbach to suspect the Other's involvement, and to respond appropriately with a massive slaver-quarantine strike via a fleet of airships. The Battle Proper Within the city, Wulfenbach troops including the Bug Squads are fighting mobs made up of revenants, who are incited to riot partly by the Other's command and partly by the adulterated signal naming Wulfenbach as The Other. Since the revenants are of the "sleeper" type that could still live a normal life, stun bullets and C-gas are the Wulfenbach weapons of choice.As by Da Boyz. The Other, masquerading as Agatha and assisted by Agatha's companions, shoots Tarvek and escapes the city but walks into an ambush/confrontation with the Baron. Unfortunately, he too believes her to be Agatha, or at least decides to offer her the benefit of the doubt, and that doubt is both exploited and smashed when she infects him with an experimental slaver wasp. Before she can take advantage of this, however, she discovers Agatha's locket in his possession and unwisely dons it, which suppresses her consciousness in favor of Agatha's. The Baron, unaware of the change and enraged by the Other's behavior, attacks her but is blocked by Lars, who is fatally wounded in the process. The order is given to destroy Agatha and all her companions, which turns out to be more difficult than expected when she unveils the Battle Circus. Ardsley Wooster has taken position as a sniper until he is confronted by Bangladesh Dupree, and takes advantage of the resulting confusion to knock her down and escape. After the Hoomhoffers arrive and are destroyed, along with the last of the Wulfenbach battle clanks, the Baron changes tactics and orders a containment retreat followed by a carpet-bombing. End of the Battle Agatha's friends figure this would be a good be a good time to leave, but Agatha herself is too overwhelmed with rage to listen until she gets hit with a Calming Pie. Unfortunately, the pie has not yet been baked that is big enough to calm the Baron; he attacks Agatha with a clank gun and is only subdued by a falling chicken house. At this point, Master Payne's Circus of Adventure ups the confusion factor many times by gassing the entire battlefield with a hallucinogen that makes them appear to be the real Heterodyne Boys and assorted well-known allies. They then airlift Agatha and her friends off the battlefield in a stolen Wulfenbach airship. Within the city, the rioting has only increased in intensity, especially when monsters rise from the sewers in response to some unknown prompt. Little is known of what happens beyond that point, since that's when Agatha finally passes out from sleep deprivation, except that at least some of the Wulfenbach wounded are later ferried out on a hospital ship crewed by The Unstoppable Higgs. Aftermath The situation is reported "contained" as of Gil's arrival in Mechanicsburg , but that may only mean it hasn't spread. There's no word on whether the chaos has actually died down any. Subsequent events only serve to further muddy the issue. Implications * Klaus knows that Agatha is controlled by Lucrezia Mongfish. * Klaus is seriously wounded, so: ** Klaus is unable to quickly direct or personally supervise a response. ** Various people who dislike Klaus attempt assassinations, further distracting Klaus and his allies. * Everyone watching knows that a female Heterodyne heir has appeared, and word of this soon spreads to Mechanicsburg and other places. * Upon hearing rumors of the female Heterodyne heir and the injuries to Klaus, a group of conspirators send 1) an army to attack Mechanicsburg, and 2) Zola "Heterodyne" to appear as the heir, and enter and disable Castle Heterodyne. Category:Chronology